According to club owner Jorge Mas, Inter Miami is aiming for celebrity newcomer Lionel Messi to make his debut on July 21 as the team looks to add up to five additional players.
Mas predicted that Messi will likely face Cruz Azul of Mexico in the local Leagues Cup competition in an interview with the Miami Herald that was published on Tuesday.
Messi, the captain of Argentina, said on June 7 that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons and join Major League Soccer.
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Although the agreement has not yet been finalized, the Herald reported that Messi would be joining on a two-and-a-half-year deal for up to $60 million annually, citing a person familiar with the negotiations.
According to the Herald article, the agreement also included a share of Miami “upon the conclusion of his playing days.”
MLS roster regulations would be met by Messi’s contract, Mas told the newspaper.
“There are no categories or anything that is being changed to incorporate Lionel Messi onto Inter Miami’s roster,” he said.
Mas said Messi’s arrival in MLS would prove to be a “seminal moment” for the history of football in the United States.
“I think there will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about the sport in the United States,” Mas said.
“I have a very, very strong held belief that we can create in North America and the United States if not the greatest league, one of the top two leagues in the world.
“I cannot over-emphasize the magnitude of this announcement.
“Having the world’s greatest player here is something that is significant for our league, and for the football ecosystem in the United States.
“Lionel Messi is coming to this country to win cups and make a difference.
“I think it’s incumbent upon myself and my partners in the league, the other owners, to seize the moment.”
Meanwhile, it is generally rumored that Miami and Sergio Busquets, Messi’s former colleague at Barcelona, are in negotiations to bring the player to Florida.
Mas declined to comment on the progress of the talks with Busquets and did not name other players who have been connected to Miami, like Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Angel di Maria.
Mas, though, stated that the team anticipated making three to five more acquisitions.
“We’ve been preparing our roster for Messi’s arrival in ’23, so we left an enormous amount of flexibility,” Mas told the Herald.
“We will be making additional signings during the summer window, more than what people anticipate… I can say we will potentially be making between three and five signings.”